Dex and Daina Live Stream Summary

Yesterday, EmpathP hosted the third Dex and Daina live stream on YouTube. She went into detail about the design changes and lack of boxed versions for the two, both of which were covered last week on Vocaloid Otaku and talked about in a previous VNN article. She also gave more information on other topics such as rumors surrounding Zero-G‘s next project and how to support English VOCALOIDs.

Boxed Versions

As stated in the previous article, there are currently no plans for Dex and Daina to receive official boxed versions. EmpathP suggested that Zero-G make a PDF file that fans can use to make their own physical copies but she is unsure whether or not the company will take this idea. The biggest problem is that providing such a file could allow people to sell physical bootlegs of Dex and Daina.

Not only will that impact Zero-G’s sales but also it would just be bad for everyone involved. Imagine purchasing a boxed version of a VOCALOID at a con only to find out it was pirated.

The good news is that the lack of a boxed version allows people to use the designs they prefer. Oftentimes, people feel pressured to draw the VOCALOID as it’s featured on their box art. As for Dex and Daina, the box art will be the two without their ears and tails. Without a physical copy, the two designs can be used by fans without one being deemed the “right” one.

EmpathP says that for the moment, there’s not much of a chance for boxed versions of Zero-G VOCALOIDs to be available. She believes that Zero-G needs to see that physical copies will sell as well as or better than digital downloads. This is because Zero-G only receives 60% of each physical copy sale. (For every $1,000 USD earned, they get $600 USD.)

Design Changes

Yet another topic covered before was the design changes. EmpathP mentioned on Vocaloid Otaku that Dex and Daina would not have the designs everyone’s seen. However, she did say that the change was “very unobtrusive”. In the live stream, she gave us more details on the matter.

For the art that Zero-G plans to primarily use, Dex and Daina will not have their ears and tails. They will however still fit the “The Fox and the Hound” theme.

Instead of the ears and tails, the duo will have headphones that cover their human ears. Daina’s will be black with blue luminescent pieces, including a blue fox head on the speaker part of the headphones. Dex will have black headphones with yellow luminescent pieces, including a yellow wolf head on the speaker part of the headphones.

Besides that, the designs will remain the same. Dex and Daina will wear the same clothes and be in the same pose.

In addition, it was confirmed that both designs will be considered canon. It’s unknown if Zero-G will be using the designs with the ears and tails, however.

It’s important to take note that these design changes were made by EmpathP, Kenji-B, and SteelEmissary. The group completely understands why Zero-G went with the different approach and are perfectly okay with it.

Plus, with both designs being considered canon, every fan gets what they want. Those who like the kemonomimi designs can keep using them while those who don’t will have the alternative version that they can draw.

Zero-G’s Decision

Zero-G decided to go with the alternative design due to their market. They market their products to professional musicians who may not be very keen on characters as anime-styled as the original Dex and Daina designs. Though the two will still maintain everything else about their original design, even the fandom itself has proved to have very mixed reactions when it comes to the ears and tails. Professionals will likely be even more turned off by such extras.

Fun Fact

Though the idea isn’t canon, EmpathP and Kenji-B like to think that the headphones allow Dex and Daina to transform through their songs. When the two sing, they gain their ears and tails.

EmpathP also imagines something similar for Avanna, the VOCALOID she drew the official art for. When Avanna sings, the rings on her outfit turn and she transforms into an elf.

These transformations were all compared to magical girl transformations.

Supporting English Vocals

As it’s been stated before, EmpathP encourages everyone to support English VOCALOIDs in any way possible. Even if you’re unable to buy or uninterested in buying the VOCALOIDs, just writing to the company that made the voice bank and thanking them makes a huge difference.

This goes for all English VOCALOIDs. EmpathP even spoke on the Ruby incident. Though many things are still unclear about it, EmpathP said that she knows Mr. Anders very well and that he’s acknowledged that he’s done wrong. He doesn’t mean to offend everyone but cannot make a public apology due to how the fandom reacts.  As we’ve seen with the bombardment of hate mail sent to PFX and so many comments hating Dex and Daina for their ears and tails, as well as outright calling them disgusting, the fandom is very quick to brutally strike anyone that comes in shooting range.

Zero-G Is Waiting on YAMAHA

Dex and Daina are ready to go. Once YAMAHA gives everyone the okay, the two will be released for digital download. No one can give an exact date yet but hopefully it will be soon!

Zero-G’s Next Project

Someone in the stream asked if Zero-G was currently working on a Rock vocal. She can’t confirm anything at this time but said that it’s possible a Rock vocal could be in the planning stages. However, it’s also possible that the Rock vocal could just be a concept at the moment.

After Avanna was nearing release, Zero-G had three paths they thought of taking: A male Celtic vocal to compliment Avanna, a male and female American vocal (now known as Dex and Daina) or a Rock vocal. They decided that, at the time, American vocals were the best bet as the market didn’t have any at the time. Of course, now there is Ruby and CYBER DIVA. But at the time when Avanna was being finished and set for release, this was a new idea.

Avanna was released in December of 2012 and Dex and Daina are likely to be released in either the fall or winter of 2015. This is nearly three years of development from a concept to full voice banks. We likely won’t hear anything confirmed for quite some time.

As a side note, the male Celtic vocal is not confirmed to be canceled. He’s currently in limbo due to Zero-G being unable to find a good vocalist for him.

Demos

Zero-G has asked EmpathP and Kenji-B not to release any full songs until Dex and Daina are released for sale. EmpathP was able to provide a new snippet for fans to listen to, however.

You can find more demos on EmpathP’s SoundCloud and YouTube as well as Kenji-B’s SoundCloud.

More Information

For more information, please check our previous articles on Dex and Daina:

English VOCALOID 4 Voices Dex and Daina Revealed!
More Information on Dex and Daina Revealed
Dex and Daina Update: Design Change and Boxed Version